harsh

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. acrimonious, ungenial, severe, rough, ungracious; sharp, sour; discordant, hoarse, grating; brutal, heartless, cruel; austere, stern; rigorous, hard. See discourtesy, discord, severity, inelegance.Ant., clement, gentle.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Inharmonious]

Syn. discordant, jangling, cacophonous, grating, rusty, dissonant, absonant, inconsonant, strident, creaking, clashing, sharp, jarring, jangled, clamorous, cracked, hoarse, out of tune, unmelodious, rasping, screeching, earsplitting, caterwauling, stridulous, disturbing, off balance, noisy, flat, sour, out of key, tuneless, unmusical, off key, disagreeing, uncongenial, unsympathetic, uncomforting, incompatible; see also loud 1 , 2 , raucous 1 , shrill .

2. [Discourteous]

Syn. gruff, ungracious, uncivil; see rude 1 , 2 , ungrateful .

3. [Severe]

Syn. rigid, unrelenting, hard; see firm 1 , resolute 1 , severe 2 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

1. rough coarse, jagged, craggy, rugged, sharp, unpleasant, grinding, jarring, discordant, grating, clashing.

2. severe cruel, unfeeling, hard, tough, merciless, stern, brutal, hard-boiled, unbending, cold-blooded.

ANT.: 1. smooth, pleasant, melodious, musical. 2. soft, mild, easy, gentle

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Having a surface that is not smooth: coarse, cragged, craggy, ironbound, jagged, ragged, rough, rugged, scabrous, uneven. See SMOOTH. 2. Disagreeable to the sense of hearing: dry, grating, hoarse, jarring, rasping, raspy, raucous, rough, scratchy, squawky, strident. See SOUNDS. 3. Having a noticeably sharp pungent taste or smell: acerbic, acrid, bitter, sour. See TASTE. 4. Rigorous and unsparing in treating others: demanding, exacting, hard, rigid, severe, stern, strict, tough, unyielding. See EASY. 5. Cold and forbidding: austere, bleak, dour, grim, hard, severe, stark. See ATTITUDE, HOT. 6. Causing sharp, often prolonged discomfort: bitter, brutal, hard, rough, severe. See COMFORT.